FIFE COUNCIL has been told to say sorry to a tenant after they failed to carry out repairs over a four-year period.

The resident, described as Ms C, had raised concerns about anti-social behaviour and repairs over many years.

After complaining to the council that they had failed to respond, she took it further with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, saying they also hadn’t handled her complaint reasonably.

The Ombudsman said they found that the council had failed to act on reports of disrepair over a four-year period.

The SPSO report added: “We also found that the council’s complaint investigation had not acknowledged this, or apologised for any failings. We upheld Ms C’s complaints.”

Fife Council was told to apologise to Ms C for the failure to take action following reports of disrepair and for their failure to handle her complaint reasonably.

The Ombudsman added: “The council should review their procedures for monitoring repair work to ensure it is monitored for completion. In relation to complaints handling, we recommended the council’s complaints handling system should ensure that failings (and good practice) are identified, and that they are using the learning from complaints to inform service development and improvement (where appropriate).”

Fife Council’s head of housing, John Mills, said they had already apologised to the tenant.

“As a responsible landlord, we always strive to ensure that our tenants are treated fairly and their complaints and comments are listened to and acted upon,” he said. “Our service in this case has fallen short of what is expected and we will be looking at how we can do better in the future.”